Controlling of Downy mildew in Corn Plants Using a Combination of Varieties and Mycorrhizae Erwin Najamuddin,1,a) Tutik Kuswinanti,1, b) Ade Rosmana, 1, c) Amran Muis 2, d) Ernawati Djaya 2, e) Salim 2, f) Hasbi,2,g
Author Affiliations
1) Faculty of Agriculture, Hasanuddin University. Perintis Kemerdekaan Street Km. 10 Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, 90245.
2) Food Crop Research Center, National Research and Innovation Agency, Bogor Highway Street Km. 46, Cibinong, Cibinong Subdistrict, Bogor Regency, West Java Province. Indonesia 16911
Abstract
Downy mildew is one of the main diseases of maize caused by Peronosclerospora sp. Plants infected with downy mildew will not give optimal results. Downy mildew is controlled by a combination of resistant varieties and systemic fungicides. The continued use of systemic fungicides is known to have a negative impact on non-target organisms and the soil. The use of biological agents is a solution to eliminate the use of fungicides in combination with resistant varieties. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of combining varieties and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in controlling downy mildew on maize. The study was conducted in wirehouse conditions, using a randomized block design with twelve combinations of varieties, mycorrhizal and inoculation of pathogen treatments, namely V1M0P0, V1M0P1, V1M1P0, V1M1P1, V2M0P0, V2M0P1, V2M1P0, V2M1P1, V3M0P0, V3M0P1, V3M1P0, and V3M1P1. Each treatment was repeated five times, with two plants in each experimental unit. All treatment combinations carried out observations of plant height, number of leaves, and diameter. Observations of disease incubation, Incidence, and Severity of disease were only carried out on six treatment combinations inoculated with P. philliphinensis pathogen. The results showed an increase in plant vegetative growth in the combination treatment of varieties and mycorrhizae in the absence of pathogen infection (V1M1P0, V2M1P0, and V3M1P0). The Incidence and Severity suppression of downy mildew was shown in the combination V3M1P1 treatment with the same incidence of 50% and disease severity of 46% at 28 days after inoculation. The results of this study indicate the need for the right combination of controls for the purposes of effective disease management in plant cultivation.
